Pennsylvania’s freshman Senator John Fetterman was recently released from the hospital after spending two months for treatments related to his “clinical depression,” and in a bizarre video, addressed the internet’s rumors that he had a body double.
“Hey everybody, it’s me, Senator John Fetterman. And I just want you to know that I’m back and I’m feeling great – 100%,” he begins, exhibiting the same out-of-place body movements.
“And during my time during the hospital,” he continued, “the fringy fringes really came up with a conspiracy that I have a body double. And I just want you to know that is just crazy. That’s not true.”
The video then cuts to a second clip with the unwell Senator wearing a different set of homeless clothes asking the first “John” what event he was supposed to be doing. All of this happened while the song “Just the Two of Us” was playing in the background.
Fringy fringe? More like cringy cringe. The guy was reading off a card and still said “Dduring my time during the hospital.” Take a look for yourself:
Can Someone explain how this guy became a US Senator? pic.twitter.com/DwP9SlOhde
— Jason Robertson (@JRobFromMN) April 19, 2023
Fetterman was likely referencing the release of an image last month in which his wife, Gisele, was standing next to a person who was apparently the same Senator but looked a tad different.
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Is it just me or does John Fetterman’s face look a lot different? pic.twitter.com/walFQUVakj
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 24, 2023
Reasons for the confusion included camera angle, lighting, and…that’s about it. Is it him in the photo? Who knows anymore. It could really be him, it could be a body double, or it could be AI-generated art. So-called conspiracy theorists not only pointed out the noticeably different facial features but the fact that his wife couldn’t even be bothered to touch him.
Fetterman gave his first interview after being discharged from the hospital and it was an utter disaster. Just like during his debates, which somehow didn’t stop PA voters from pulling the lever for him, he could barely speak.
And when he did, it was obvious his responses were not his own. As the Western Journal noted, “In his first interview since leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Fetterman’s inability to keep his eyes forward is an indication that he’s constantly reading from a captioning screen, translating interviewer Jane Pauley’s questions and possibly even cueing him on his own answers.”
As the Western Journal went on to note, this was likely the best of the interview, meaning the rest of it was far worse. In their words:
And that was just the preview — presumably the interview moments that showed Fetterman at his best.
The actual interview as it aired is much worse. A patched-together puff job by propagandists trying to convince the country that the junior senator from Pennsylvania is on the job, despite his debilitating depression.
It doesn’t work. The 10-minute segment is packed with filler footage and photos from Fetterman’s healthier days, before the stroke in May 2022 that deeply diminished his physical and mental capacity, but did not prevent him from winning the Democratic primary. (The party that has President Joe Biden in the White House is nothing if not consistent.)
In February, Fetterman’s office released a statement saying he had been checked into Walter Reed to attend to his life-long ailment with depression.
“Last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression. While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” his office said in a released statement.
“On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress,” the statement continued. “Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis.”
“After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself,” the statement concluded.